Petti Para

             In the Kuttanad region, during the Masons heavy rains flood the fields. By September, indigenously designed 50- HP pump set empty them, throwing the water back in to the lake. Called Petti Para, these farms are crafted mainly from wood, except for a large bore steel cylinder and impellor encased in wood. Netting, in the box like delivery end, snare fish jettisoned along with the water.

R Block

             It is one of the best managed private farms (at 850 acres) among the reclaimed land in the Kuttanad region, a process that started nearly hundred years back. By 1920, due to the scarcity of rice, locals were allowed to reclaim as much land as they wanted on the condition that they grow paddy. A fisherman, Joseph Muriekkan was among the first to own reclaimed land. These rights continued even after independence, the Govt. assisting the people with technical help from the Netherlands. It is covered in coconut, areca nut and banana plantations .The fields lend themselves to fish farming and duck breeding while awaiting the next sowing season.

The Beach

            Alapuzhas beach is a sedate and rather plebeian, echoing the spirit of the town. The southern end of the beach has a large statue of a fisher woman cradling a baby in her arms while at the northern end the century-old pier extends in to the sea. The light house , in banks of red and white , soars into the sky just behind the beach front buildings , unchanged since its construction in 1862.Even the high compound wall around it and the domed entrance , streaked with grime and tinged black with age , remain the same . There is also the ‘Thykkal Beach’ near Cherthala , doted with fishing boats and famous for the relics of an old wooden boat at ‘Kadakkarapally’ excavated a couple of years back. The site is enclosed and the protected boat is on view only during summer.

Boat Races

             In July to September ‘The Chundan Vallom’ (long slender wooden boats) is take part in a regatta inVembanad Lake. Decorated with brass embellishments and colorful regalia, these long slender crafts, made of teak and a hard wood called ‘Anjili’, are propelled by over hundred rowers whose hands work in unison to the feverish rhythms of folk songs belted out cheerleaders. The helmsman, who controls the proceedings, positions himself on the ‘Amaram’ and wields specially made extra long oars. Timing and team work is essential. The crews practice months in advance for D-day   when spectators throng the banks of the lake. A multi tiered spectator’s gallery, perched on a spur of land in the middle of the waters at ‘Punnamada Lake’ is a unique feature

Krishnapurm Palace Museum

This palace was built during the reign of Maharaja Marthanda Varma and is a miniature model of the Padmanabhapuram palace, near Thiruvanathapuram. Built in the traditional style, this spectacular 16 block building covers an area of 1.87 acres. An archeological museum, the restored two storied palace houses paintings, antique furniture and sculptures (including a seated Buddha), bronze anquities, swords, ancient vessels used for measuring grains, weights, cannon balls and models of umbrellas from the late medieval period. Attractions include a Sanskrit bible, Pooja ceremony utensils and oil lamps and a Buddha Mandapam in the garden. There is a three meter high mural that depicts Gajendra Moksha, the Puranic story of the Hindu god Vishnu rescuing the elephant Gajendra from the clutches of a crocodile. It is one of the largest panels of mural paintings in Kerala.within the palace complex is a pond where the king used to have his bath. The mural is placed at the entrance to the palace from the pond to enable the Raja to worship the deity after his bath

Pathiramanal

Midnight sands- an evocative name with an interesting story behind it. Pathiramanal is an island in VembanadLake. The story goes that when a young Brahmin plunged in to the waters here for his evening ablutions, the waters parted and a verdant piece of land emerged from the lake; land that came to be called Pathiramanal or midnight sands. The raja of Travancore gave out the island on lease to the family of a man named Andrew Pereira (Portuguese naval officer) when the lease period was over in 1979, it was taken over by the Govt and then the island was hand over to the tourism Dept.

 Evenings spent on the island can be an unforgettable experience, as the watery landscape lies covered in dreamy torpor. Chinese fishing nets , sand  laden wooden boats and fisherman gliding  by in dugout canoes  in the backdrop of the shimmering greenery are the usual views . Since the island is covered completely in vegetation, a stroll along its many shady lanes or via the serrated banks will give you sightings of rare migratory birds that have made this island their temporary home. The ideal time to visit Pathiramanal is around dusk when it transforms it to a feeding ground for the inhabitants of nearby Kumarakom bird sanctuary.

A one hour boat ride from Alappuzha jetty takes you to the island. Private boat operators charge Rs 800, inclusive of return fare. Alternately, a 13km drive to Muhamma, then a further 2km to Kayipuram junction and you can hire small wooden boats to take to you to the island for Rs 100.

Alappuzha-Churches

 

Chavara Bhavan   

It is situated in ‘Kynakary’ a small village in the back waters of Alapuzha, is the ancestral form of Father Kuriakose Elias Chavara. Father Chavara is among the three Malayalee candidates under consideration for sainthood by the Vatican.

The place is now a spiritual resort where devotees gather for prayers and receive favors. The 250 year old monument preserves the “Beacon of light”, intact in its original form that continues to be burn. The house is a simple wooden structure consisting of three rooms and an under ground meditation enclosure. A church has been built around the house as a mark of respect for this holy place. A museum originally located here has been shifted to Kottayam.

St George orthodox Syrian Church

               This church is considered to be one of the oldest Syrian churches. It has been constructed partially with portions of an old 13^th century church located at Haripad.the main attraction of this church is its porches and porticos, fashioned after typical temple architecture. The tourists come to the ancient church to see its exquisite mural paintings(Eg :the frescoes).the themes are  all biblical ranging from the annunciation of Mary, Jesus ,birth, the flight unto Egypt., the last supper and the crucifixion of Christ.

St Mary’s Church

            This church is established in 1870 by St Thomas. The annual feast falls on the 3^rd Sunday of October but the feast of St.Joseph, celebrated on March 19^th, is also a big event. Nearby, there is a place that makes wooden statues of Christ for export around the world. There is also a chundan Vallom, a snake boat, in its thatched shed, tucked away inside a narrow inlet. Measuring 130 feet long and manned by more than hundred rowers during the races, it is the pride of the community.

St. George Forane Church  

            The massive church is located on the banks on the Pamba, established in 1810.It is believed that prayers offered at this church help to heal mental disorders and other ailments. During the annual feast, pilgrims from all parts of South India, irrespective of creed, visit the church to seek the blessings of the saint. They bring images of human organs and serpents, made of gold and silver, as votive offerings. The statue of St. George, decked in gold, is taken out in a procession and placed on the dais at the centre of the Basilica. The feast culminates with a display of fireworks.

Alappuzha-Temples

Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Temple

Chakkulath Kavu Bhagavathi Temple

It situated in the border of the Pathanamthitta & Alapuzha. The famous rivers Pamba and Manimala flow on either side of the temple. This temple , which has Goddess Vanadurga as the presiding deity , has a special affinity for women and children and is popular with women devotees.’NARI POOJA’ where womanhood is extolled – which is part of annual ‘Panthrandu Noyambu’ festival, is performed with fervor in this temple . Every year hundreds of devotees witness the ritual of feet washing that the ‘Manusmrithi’ verse, “Wherever women are being worshiped, there will be glory and prosperity” This temple is model religious amity, allowing all people, irrespective of their religion or cast, entry with in.

Chettikulangara Bhagavathi Temple

 The deity an incarnation of Badhrakali is supposed it posses is miraculous powers and there are many legends relating to the favors conferred by the deity on her devotees. The ‘Kettu Kazcha festival at this temple draws large crowds of devotees. Tall structure on chariots, brightly decorated effigies of horses, larger than life figures of epic characters and decorated chariots are brought to the temple in a spectacular procession ritual and folk art forms like ‘Padayani, Kolkali and       Ammankudam are performed along site. An all night Kathakali performance makes the conclusion of the cultural fair.

The one day annual Bharani festival is also a popular event the day is marked with special ritual like; Kuthiyottam’ performances and “Kettu Kazcha” procession Kuthiyottam is a 1200 year old preformed by young boys. In front of the sanctum sanctorum we can see 11 feet high, 13 tired stone lamp, capable of holding a thousands wicks, it is said to be the largest and most elaborate lamp in India.

Subramanya temple

               It has one of Kerala’s oldest and most important Subramanya temples and this temple considered the largest Sree Murugan temple in Kerala. This temple is renowned for its architectural splendor the tall flag mast, the large temple tank and koothambalam (theater) which has some exquisite wooden carvings on its ceiling. It is believed that the four-armed idol, fashioned after the sculptural pattern of the Buddhist period and worshipped by Lord Parasuarama was found in a river. The boat race at Payippad (3km).for 3 days commemorates the rescue of this idol and subsequent of the building of the temple.

Mannarassala snake temple

               Mannarassala is the largest with 30000 images of snake gods along the path and among the trees, and many snakes living around the temple. Childless women come for blessing and return for a ‘thanksgiving’ceremony afterwards when the child born to the couple is placed on special scales and gifts in kind, equaling the weight, are donated.

It is believed that when Pandavas set fire to the Khanadava forest, the snakes that managed to escape came to Mannarassala and settled there. Even today, when families clear land of snakes, granite idols are often placed in the Mannarassala shrine. Thus the shrine has acres of land full of serpent idols. Childless couples offer a cauldron here and conduct certain poojas, to receive the snake god’s blessings to beget a child. A priestess, who is the senior-most female member of the Mannarassala Brahmin family, conducts the Pooja.

Ambalapuzha Sree Krishna temple

In this temple Krishna is worshiped in the infant avatar. Paintings of the 10 incarnations of lord Vishnu adorn the inner walls of the chuttambalam. The temple complex also houses a small structure called the Guruvayoor temple where the deity of Lord Krishna of Guruvayoor was kept in safe custody during the 1790 invasion of Tipu Sulthan. During the annual festival, which falls in April, thousands of devotees frequent the temple and partake in the feast. And once every 12 years, sorcerers perform the pallipana. The temple isalso renowned for its palpayasam, the daily offering of the milk rice, the legendary gift of a Brahmin to the poor. Very few temples have the good fortune, or the karma of possessing idols that are made by god, Krishna-at Guruvayoor, Tripunithura and Ambalapuzha. Legend has it that once the Brahmin ruler of Chempakasseri, pooradam thirunal thampuran, was traveling by boat with the sage villwamangalam swami, when they heard melodious strains of the flute. The music emanated from the south east corner of the present temple at Ambalapuzha, where a peepal tree stands. The sage, an ardent devotee of Krishna, recognized celestial music. They disembarked, went around the tree and prostrated themselves. And hence the name Ambalapuzha reached by crossing the river.                

There is also a legend why Ambalapuzha’s famous palpayasam is offered at the noon Pooja. Once , the Chempakasseri Thampuran had borrowed some paddy from a Brahmin from ‘Thalavadi’ during a famine , the Raja righteously undertook the feeding of his subject , and was unable to repay the loan which soon mounted , with interest ,to 36000 Paras of paddy . One day, when the Raja came to the temple for darsan, the Brahmin demanded his paddy and threatened that he wouldn’t allow any worship until the debt was cleared .The Thampuran ordered his Minister to clear the debt immediately, but there was in sufficient stock of paddy. Some how the required quantity was collected and before noon, the elephant house before the temple was overflowing with contribution. The paddy was measured at the eastern side of the temples to the Brahmin’s satisfaction. However, the Minister asked the Brahmin to clear the paddy before the mid day Pooja otherwise it would interfere with the rituals. If the Brahmin failed to remove the paddy with in the stipulated time it would be confiscated to the temple. Predictably, the poor Brahmin could not get a single porter to remove the paddy. In the meantime, the sanctum sanctorum was closed for the midday Pooja. When the sreekovil was reopened, the Brahmin acknowledged the Raja’s righteousness and offered the paddy to the Lord Krishna. He also started that palpayasam should prepared daily and offering it to the deity at the midday Pooja, be distributed among devotees. This is the famous Ambalapuzha palpayasam, the color of which is golden and the taste is unique.

Every morning, before dawn, the Namboothiries start their preparation. Milk and water are poured into a heavy cauldron. By sunrise, the mixture comes to a boil, a process continued for six more hours. Then, the washed and winnowed rice is added into the simmering liquid and stirred continuously. At 11.45 am, sugar is poured, mixed and the cauldron lifted off the fire, strung onto bamboo poles and carried to the sanctum. Water for the payasam still comes from the sacred Mani kinar,   an old well south west to the temple, where the rice is also washed. But the milk now comes from the local milk dairy and other societies. The payasam costs Rs 32 per liter. On an average, 150 liters are made every day but there is never any surplus. The temple has also been patronized by great literary gems like Melpathur Narayana Bhattathirippad, Thunchath Ezhuthachan and Kunchan Nambiar.Oottan Thullal, the satirical art form created by poet Kunchan nambiar, was first performed here.

The snake boat saga

Kerala: ‘The network of rivers, lakes and backwater canals’. Boats were the only way to get around and national water way three served as the mani aquatic super highway. The kettu Vallom were converted into luxurious house boats, there was one boat that did not quite fit in to the modern scheme of things. It was the chundan Vallom. Measuring well over 100 feet, it took an equal number to row it. The boats main feature is the chundu,a raised prow that rises more than 10 feet above the water like a snake’s hood. It is same as a serpent.

The story of its creation is equally fascinating. In the olden days, most kings used the waterfront as an arena to settle disputes. They used a wide variety of boats to ferry soldiers, supplies and to fight great naval wars. About 250 years ago, the kings of Ambalapuzha and Kayamakulam were at war. The Ambalapuzha asked the architect, Deavanarayana, to design a multipurpose war boat that could carry a lot of soldiers and fire cannons. Deavanarayana designed a long sleek vessel and introduced a revolutionary mechanism wherein the recoil of the cannon would propel the boat forward. When the Kayamakulam king learnt of this invention he demanded one for himself. But the loyal architect reversed the firing mechanism in such a way that the boat would move in the opposite direction in which the shot was fired.

Over the years, the war was resolved but the chundan Valloms remained. To keep up the fierce competitive spirit, they were put to race. In place of the cannon stand two people who beat the odithatta (fire platform) with logs to maintain the rowing rhythm. Twenty five singers sing the vanchippattu (songs of the boatman), the chant of ‘arpu irroh’ drives a hundreds thdazhikar to coordinated frenzy. The snake boat race is the largest team sport in the world. Vallamkali as it is called begins during the harvest festival of Onam. Champakulam Moolam Boat race, the oldest snake boat race in Kerala, is held on the day the deity at Ambalapuzha’s Sree Krishna Temple was installed. As the story, goes, when Jawaharlal Nehru visited Kerala in1952, four traditional chundan Vallom went from Kottayam to Alappuzha to receive him. A mock snake boat race was also organized in his honor. Nehru was so fascinated that when he went back to Delhi, he sent a gleaming silver trophy for a boat race, which was duly named after him. Some say that as Nehru watched the spectacle from raised platform on the Punnamada Lake, he became so excited that he jumped right in to one of those boats. Even, today, boats race a one and a half km stretch in four columns on the second Saturday of August, in memory of the 1952 welcoming party. The Nadubagam chundan, which was one of the four boats race, still participate. 

The Coir and Alappuzha

The Arabs had carried out trade in coir product from Alappuzha since ancient times. It was only since James Dariegh’s first coir factory came up in 1859, that Alappuzha came to be known as the home of the coir industry.  The Coir products are exporting different parts of the world. Dense groves of coconut palms spread all over the district provides the necessary raw materials- tons of husks. The back waters provide the facility for months of soaking to soften the husk and extract the fiber and it allowed easy transportation of raw materials. Coir dominated the industrial scene in this region, over other commodities like copra, coconut oil, lime shell and seafood, a trend that continued even after independence. In 1947, Kallelil Ragavan Pillai, a local historian, buys the shores of Alappuzha. By then Kochi had established itself as the commercial hub of the region its strategic location and all-weather port. 

Though Alapuzha’s importance was diminished, its connection with coir continued. The coir board was established here in 1955.then, the National Coir Training and Designing centre came up in 1965, and there is also the Coir Research Institute. Coir continues to be an important cottage industry for the local people. today Alapuzha’s, dilapidated old pier, with rusted girders and wasted planks, over which  trolleys laden with bales of coir products must have trundled towards waiting ships, just in to the sea  forlornly. But the new rail link established with Kochi might prove to be the long awaited blessing that the town needed to open its windows to international markets.

Alappuzha-Overview

Alappuzha is known as the Venice of the east. its criss-crossing canals, which were once busy waterways, evoked comparison with Venice. Once a booming trading centre from where coir products were exported to different parts of the world. Business and commerce may have long left Alappuzha, but tourism is reviving this old trading town. Merchants and settlers have left behind an architectural heritage that combined with its quiet streets, a long stretch of beach and winding canals, give this place a quaint, alluring quality.

Situated at the south-western tip of Vembanad Lake, Alappuzha had its heyday as a commercial hub when Dewan Raja Keshavadas, in 1775-76, It to be a major port of the erstwhile Travancore state .but it was Veluthambi Dalava who took up development of Alapuzha town in a planned manner. The decline of the port at Purakkad also known as Ambalapuzha or Chempakasseri, necessitated the rehabilitation of traders for which the Dewan selected Alapuzha .Having found a 13 meter long mud bank in the sea around Alapuzha, which afforded good anchorage and made the waters calm, as in a lagoon; he got the jungles cleared up and built the Canals that connected back waters to the port. The Rajas Travancore took personal interest in the Dewan’s proposal and the port city was constructed adopting modern town planning concept. True to design, it grew to be a prosperous trading and fisheries centre.

This is a place between the Arabian sea and Vembanad lake, on a silver of land barely 4km wide, Alapuzha had the duel advantage of cheap in land water transport on its eastern end and calm seas suitable for a all weather port on the west .A working port was in place by 1786.The Dewan built the first Canal here, leading from the lake right up to the beach which can to be known as the commercial Canal. A hundred meter long pier with trolley car rails was added by the British later .Alapuzha began  attracting traders from many parts of the country, notably from Gujarat and Bombay, who traded Copra ,timber pepper and coir products. Fallout of the trading activity was that rich Jain and Gujarathi business man bought prime land in what is called the sea view ward, and built homes ware houses and temples. In 1859 the first coir factory was established, producing mats from coir yarns on a loom developed by a English sea captain, James Dariegh. Alapuzha soon became the power centre of coir trade and was, at one time the world’s chief supplier of coir yarn and coir matting along the sides of the canals; we can still sea several buildings that once housed large factories and warehouses.

Booming trade and industry attracted Christian missionaries who built the first Anglican Church here in 1820. The first post office in the erstwhile Travancore state also came up here in 1851. Alappuzha was the home of the trade union movement; militanat trade unionism discouraged entrepreneurs. Ideally located as a base for backwater cruising, Alappuzha attracts tourists the year round for that singular experience. Private boat operators have mushroomed near the boat jetty and offer competitive rates for daylong cruises. Long lines of house boats lie moored all along the banks of this part of the lake, called Punnamada, close to where the riverPampa flow in. with more than 200 houseboats operating from Alappuzha and about 20-25 companies engaged in the house boat business, it has become the hub of house boats.

The piece-de- resistance of cruising in the backwaters is a trip to the Kuttanad region- a vast area of reclaimed land covered in brilliant green paddy fields. Alappuzha is also a centre of the annual Nehru Trophy boat race. Narrow snake like wooden boats called chundan Vallom, nearly 125 feet long and barely five feet wide, stream across the Pampa River at Punnamada, the site famous regatta, propelled by more than 100 rowers and spurred by cheer leaders.

Alappuzha other charm is its beach. The broad white sands have seen new additions recently, like the brand new beach road, a landscaped park on he beach front, a couple of artistic statues and tall mast lights in between. But the old structures also remain. A red and white painted lighthouse built in 1862, by Marthanda varma, stands tall.

Like elsewhere in Kerala, Alappuzha has its share of temples and churches. The Mullakkal Bhagavathi temple, among the oldest in this region, the Thirumala Devaswam shrine near the jetty , the 1816 built CSI church  and reconstructed Pazhayangadi church are examples. The sizable Konkani community here maintained a distinctive social milieu, most of their hoses being congregated around the Pallikkunnu bhagavathi temple. The Kutchi Memons, who migrated from the Kutchi district of Gujarat, are another important trading community, now dwindling in Alappuzha. Their Juma masjid near the beach is one of the earliest shrines in this region. Its original charm as a place with a unique topography and eco system is now pulling in the crowds.

Alapuzha is the “Umbrella Capital” of Kerala and umbrella shops here are flooded with a colorful range and variety of umbrellas like the five fold umbrella, the Ultra light Umbrella- weighing just 28 gram, the umbrella cum walking stick and other fancy ones for the tourists. Poppy and Johns are the best and most popular brands.

 

Things to do                              

·            Village walk

·            Backwater cruise

·            Discover Aleppey